Thomas holland



(No'Mo'deL) v T. HOLLAND.

INSTEP ARCH SUPPORT'FOR FEET.

No. 579,874. Patented Mar. 30, 1897.

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UNITED STATES ATENT Tries.

THOMAS HOLLAND, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

lNSTEP-ARCH SUPPORT FOR FEET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 579,874, dated March 30, 1897'. Application filed September 11, 18%. Serial No. 622,744. (No model.) Tatented in England January 11, 1893, No. 607.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS HOLLAND, a subject of Her Majesty the Queen of Great Britain, and a resident of the city of London, England, have invented a certain new and useful Improved Instep-Arch Support for Feet, (for which British Letters Patent were granted to me, dated January 11, 1803, No. 607,) of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to providing an appliance to be worn in a boot or shoe or other such like foot-covering for the support of the instep-arch of the foot, and thereby to remedy and cure the weakness in feet known as fiat foot.

To this end the invention, in substance, consists of an instep-arch support composed of a sole-shaped piece of leather or of other suitable material, with a side extension or part molded to the curving shape of the inside waist of the human foot, and means stiffening said side extension, all substantially as hereinafter described.

In the drawings forming part of this specification, Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side of the instep-arch support of this invention. Fig. 2' is a longitudinal section of the sole and otherwise a side elevation of a gaiterboot, broken out, and showing in side elevation the instep-arch support of this invention. Fig. 3 is a transverse section in detail, line 3 3, Fig. 2.

In the drawings, A is the sole-piece, of leather or of other suitable material, and B is a side extension of it molded to the curving shape of the inside waist of the human foot. The sole-piece A is shaped to be inserted in and to lie upon the sole of a boot or shoe.

' O is a band or strip of tempered steel eX- tending transversely of the molded part B and sole-piece A at the under side thereof.

This band at one end portion 0 is secured by a rivet a to the sole A, but otherwise and at its opposite end portion 0 it is unattached, and preferably its free end portion 0 has a slightly-greater concave than that of the molded part of the sole which is thereopposite it.

D is a band or strip of tempered steel extending lengthwise and along the under side of the molded part B and across the transverse strip O. The strip D at its opposite end portions is secured by rivets b to the molded part B, but otherwise it is left free, and it may be in two separate layers, as shown, Fig. 3.

The band 0 is located so as to be immediately under the astralagus bone of the foot, and it and the band D stiffen the molded part B and thereby sustain it in its work of support to the instep-arch at the inside waist of the foot.

Practical use of the insteparch support of this invention shows its effectiveness in the cure of flat foot.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patout, is

1. A support for the instep-arch of the foot comprising the sole-shaped piece, A, provided with the upwardly extended portion, B, shaped to engage the waist of the foot; and the longitudinally arranged supportingplate, D, secured to and engaging the under side of said molded portion substantially as described.

2. The herein-described support for the instep-arch of the foot comprising in combination, the sole-shaped piece, A, molded at B, to engage the inside portion of' the waist of the foot; the longitudinally-arranged supporting-plate D, secured on a face of said molded portion; and the transverse plate 0, secured at one end to the piece A, with its free end resting on the plate D, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THOMAS HOLLAND.

Witnesses:

- J. O. MITCHELL, T. P. ROGERS. 

